Chapter 8 The Journey Begins

So… the things I have with me… carrots… lots of them, fish (feesh) for Mitsu… Materials for torches… a flint and steel… my Axe… That would be all needed, I think as I start walking North. This is a small plains, it's pretty much surrounded by the jungle excepting here in this Northern Desert. The Librarian told me that it's pretty big so… I guess I'll have to actually be careful. It probably won't be too hard to find my way around seeing as I have to follow the direction the clouds go, but it won't be like I'll have hills to use as a marking and find my way. Also there's supposedly a small village that is somewhere close to where the cause of the evil that plagues this land lies.

Referring to evil… it is mid day, but I sure hope that we'll be able to reach the small village in the desert before nightfall, I'd rather not have to fight anything while making sure I don't sink in quicksand. Yep, I was warned about that as well. The fact that I'm more dead than alive makes my stomach not burn food as it should so…

I've pretty much gained weight since coming to this world. But not weight as in being bigger, but as in carrots sitting in my stomach pulling me down. But I can't stop eating them, it's really impossible for me. Things like these are unknown to me, we have no food in The Nether… and those that dare to eat Nether Wart well… good luck with that.

After walking for a small while, I reach a river that is the border between the plains and the desert. There are still small bits of grass here and there on the other side, but you can pretty much see the dune that's stretching ahead for a really really long while…

"Everyday should be like this one I say… the sun shining bright,/ I don't really enjoy when it rains" I say, and knowing what happened last time… Mitsu doesn't appreciate it either. I jump over the river as it isn't that big, and having my companion grateful that I saved him from having to touch the water, I start walking on the dying grass, and then on the sand. It really feels weird under my hooves…

"Let's hope I'm not going to sink… or fall again in who knows what care… that would be most unfortunate." I say looking at Mitsu, while stopping a bit and looking down. It, once again, really feels weird under my hooves. Actually, this entire world feels weird… but I'm getting used to it… and I have to, if I'll end up having a home in this village… Speaking of which, I've never asked what the name of it was… having learned their tongue more or less, I've not read the sign that holds the official name of the settlement… That's a mistake I'll sure regret… I hope there'll be an easier way to get back to the village rather than walking through the desert again.

Time is not really something that's putting pressure on me… Really, there's no reason that I should hurry. Especially since I am not expected there… or… Maybe I am… Originally I was supposed to head for the fortress, past the desert but then the villager told me of the evil and… Recognizing that I am really sitting in their village without paying, I had to check it out. Gazing forward I can only see sand… behind me and in the rest sides as well, there isn't really any place to hide but… At least it's still day. Midday actually, which is a pretty bad thing as there's just desert… Earning the trust and respect of the villagers didn't prove to be a hard thing… Suddenly, my train of thought is stopped by the fight that Mitsu is no longer on my shoulder… What… but when did that…

"I have to go back" I tell to myself, and turn immediately, and start walking in the opposite direction. Now I'm going South, and the clouds are going behind me… Seeing him should be easy as everything is flat in this place... but the distance seems to be shrouded by a kind of fog… but I do see something, to my right there's a small shadow in the distance… I start running towards it, but it doesn't seem to be getting any closer.

The heat of the desert isn't really a match for a bath of Lava, so I am not affected by it, that most probably is Mitsu… but how could the poor creature jump off my shoulder and not tell me anything when I just kept walking… or maybe he spoke in his language, and I was too busy thinking about… nothing, to be able to hear him… This is the second time I lose something dear to me… that really saddens me… As I stop running, feeling tired, the shadow seems to disappear… it was just… nothing? Or maybe whatever it was it was running away from me? And it was just spying me since I got in the desert? Either way the sun is going to start setting down soon… the fact that I lost my companion really saddens me…

I start walking again North, I know that because the clouds are going the same direction as I am. But looking at the sky I see that I do not have much daylight left… I'll not reach the village by night… and then Mitsu… Ugh… "I give up" I say into my mind as I stop… "Tonight I shall stay here…" I think as I sit down and take my backpack off. I take my axe and stick it in a pile of sand, it hopefully won't disappear, and open the bag… and to my surprise…

"Mitsu!" I yell, waking and scaring the poor creature up, that jumps out of my bag onto the hot sand. As he lands he jumps a bit then hops back in the bag and looks at me confused.

"You were sleeping in my bag I… I lost so much time because of you I… I'm so happy you're alright…" I say, to which he looks even more confused, and takes a fish in his mouth.

"Alright… let's eat" I say, smiling. I put the bag down and take a carrot, as Mitsu eats his fish, we both look at the sunset having gone through another day… I'm feeling a bit tired from all that running, but it's not enough to get me to sleep… I should however make a fire.

Taking a few sticks placing them on the ground and lighting them with my flint and steels makes a fire, to which I add some coal to keep burning. But the night is almost entirely here, we'll be surrounded by monsters.

"Mitsu I'll try make a small wall, night is coming after all" I say, to which my cat meowed at me as if to say that it's a good idea. Or that he allows me to do that.

Anyway I dig out some small bits of sand and lift them off the ground to make small blocks, atleast to have something for the zombies to trip on if they try to come for me.

It is now night, and the moon has been up for a while. There aren't any lights on the horizon, besides the stars, so the village is not near. Excepting my campfire, everything seems to be silent.

The silence which Mitsu breaks by hissing.

Turning towards him I see a tall, dark creature, that has purple eyes and holds sand in his hands. He looks at me while letting out a sound, like a roar, as he throws the sand onto my fire extinguishing it… it is now pitch black, I can barely see anything, but I hear sounds of monsters nearby… Now I wonder… where did I leave my axe?